Soccer team bests Blazers, Mustangs in successful weekend
The Jayhawks go 4-0 for the first time in four years as they defeat UAB 5-2 and SMU 1-0 during the weekend.
By Andrew Wiebe (Contact)
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Trailing for the first time this season after four minutes against UAB, No. 20 Kansas could have panicked. The Jayhawks could have reverted to the offensive form that saw them shut out eight times one year ago.
Instead, Mark Francis’ squad regrouped and fashioned the perfect response, scoring twice in the span of 30 seconds then pulling away in the second half for an electrifying 5-2 victory at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex Friday afternoon.
Photo by Weston White
Junior forward Shannon McCabe battles for a header against a University of Alabama at Birmingham defender. McCabe had two shots with one assist in Kansas' 5-2 victory Friday evening.
Freshmen sensations Emily Cressy and Kortney Clifton each scored twice, junior midfielder Monica Dolinsky tallied from the penalty spot and senior midfielder Jessica Bush added two assists to ensure Kansas maintained its unbeaten start to the 2008 season.
“It doesn’t surprise me when we score goals,” Francis said about his team’s emphatic response to going down early. “You don’t usually score two in 30 seconds. But what that tells me is that when they score a goal, we get mad about it. We’ve got to have that mentality when its 0-0.”
The UAB Blazers looked to have grabbed the momentum when freshman midfielder/forward Laura McCalla beat senior goalkeeper Julie Hanley in the fourth minute, but Kansas wasn’t on the back foot for long.
Dolinsky answered back from the spot three minutes later when the referee blew the whistle for a UAB handball during the scrum to clear a Kansas corner kick. Clifton followed that with her first goal as a Jayhawk, glancing a pinpoint header inside the back post from a Bush corner kick.
Clifton said Kansas had been working on organizing and timing runs in the box during the past week in practice.
“I knew my run, and I was able to get on the end of it,” Clifton said.
UAB forced its way back into the game in the 12th minute when sophomore defender Lauren Jackson was called for a penalty kick after over-committing to a tackle just inside the penalty area.
But Cressy was there to respond seven minutes later, giving Kansas a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Bush split the Blazers defense, her pass leading the streaking freshman through on goal, and Cressy sent a left-footed blast into the side netting.
She got her second six minutes after halftime when Dolinsky sent a ball over the top of the defense. Cressy fought her way onto the end of it, and recorded her team-leading fourth goal.
Not to be outdone, Clifton secured her brace in the 66th minute when junior forward Shannon McCabe spotted her diagonal run. McCabe chipped the ball into space where Clifton deftly finished, leaving the goalkeeper and defender in a heap.
“It’s nice to be able to finally contribute to the team, and get my first goals on the board,” Clifton said.
Francis said he was happy to see Clifton break through and begin building confidence after failing to take advantage of her previous chances.
“As a forward the longer the season goes on without scoring, the more pressure you feel,” Francis said.
Kansas picks up fourth victory in Dallas
Forty-eight hours after disposing of UAB, Kansas overcame SMU 1-0 in Dallas behind freshman forward Kortney Clifton’s third goal of the weekend.
The Jayhawks lost to coach Mark Francis’ alma mater 2-0 in Lawrence last season, but a moment of brilliance from junior midfielder Monica Dolinsky and Clifton sent them to their fourth win in as many games.
Kansas scored the game’s lone goal in the 26th minute when Dolinsky weaved through the Mustang defense along the byline, eventually finding Clifton at the near post.
The Jayhawks are 4-0 for the first time since 2004 when they started the season with six consecutive victories.
Apart from the goal, Francis said he was disappointed with his team’s sloppiness with the ball and defensive focus for most of the first half. Still, he said Kansas is starting to show it can win ugly when things aren’t flowing on either side of the ball.
Both sides combatted temperatures in the high 80s, and Francis said the bench was key to nabbing a second victory this weekend. Twenty players saw action against SMU, none less than 13 minutes.
“I think our bench did a great job coming in and giving us some energy,” Francis said.
— Edited by Rachel Burchfield
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